Biography Best Bets

"Richly detailed. . . an intimate portrait of a diplomat." —New Yorker

From the seven-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—among history's most admired and tireless public servants—a revealing, funny, and inspiring reflection on the challenge of continuing one's career far beyond the normal age of retirement

In 2001, when Madeleine

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"John Lennon was one of the world's most influential people. Mark David Chapman was one of the most invisible. By the end of 1980, the Beatles had been broken up for a decade -- a decade John Lennon had spent in search of his true identity: singer, songwriter, activist, burn out. "It's the perfect time to be coming back," he declared. Except that Lennon was a marked man. As early as the Beatles' controversial 1966 American tour, the band had feared...

The most famous sisters in China, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the center of power during a time of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations. Red Sister, Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen; Little Sister, May-ling, became Madame Chiang Kai-shek; Big Sister, Ei-Ling, became Chiang's unofficial main adviser, and made herself one of China's richest women.

"The lives of England's medieval queens were packed with incident-love, intrigue, betrayal, adultery, and warfare-but their stories have been largely obscured by centuries of myth and omission. Now esteemed biographer Alison Weir provides a fresh perspective and restores these women to their rightful place in history. Spanning the years from the Norman conquest in 1066 to the dawn of a new era in 1154, when Henry II succeeded to the throne and Eleanor...

Describes the adventures of two sisters who tried to overcome the male-dominated social norms of the late nineteenth century and achieved a remarkable list of firsts, including the first woman-run brokerage house and the first woman to run for president.

"In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so so strongly with viewers that she became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, working women, and why you never see new-mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads. Wong's sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom...

Often overlooked in the pantheon of Renaissance masters is Artemisia Gentileschi -- Italy's greatest female painter. In 17th century Italy, Artemisia braved the male-dominated sphere of painting to beocme a groundbreaking artist.

"The definitive book on the ultimate mob boss--featuring new FBI revelations, rare family photos, and never-before-published material . . . The press nicknamed him "The Prime Minister of the Underworld." The U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Narcotics described him as "one of the most powerful and influential Mafia leaders in the U.S." But to friends and associates, he was simply "Uncle Frank." Who was Frank Costello really? That's the question Pulitzer Prize-winning...

A James Beard Award-winning writer captures life under the Red socialist banner in this wildly inventive, tragicomic memoir of feasts, famines, and three generations  
 
     Born in 1963, in an era of bread shortages, Anya grew up in a communal Moscow apartment where eighteen families shared one kitchen. She sang odes to Lenin, black-marketeered Juicy Fruit gum at school, watched

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